EMAIL SIGN UP!
Most Popular This Week
- Corporate Win: Supreme Court Says Monsanto Has 'Control Over Product of Life'
- How the US Turned Three Pacifists into Violent Terrorists
- Cornel West: Obama 'Is a War Criminal'
- In 'March Toward Disaster,' World Hits 400 PPM Milestone
- Revealed: How US State Department 'Twists Arms' on Monsanto's Behalf
Popular content
Today's Top News
The Anti-Venezuela Election Campaign
Venezuela's election is not until September, but the international campaign to delegitimise the government has already begun
Venezuela has an election for its national assembly in September, and the campaign has begun in earnest. I am referring to the international campaign. This is carried out largely through the international media, although some will spill over into the Venezuelan media. It involves many public officials, especially in the US. The goal will be to generate as much bad press as possible about Venezuela, to discredit the government, and to delegitimise the September elections - in case the opposition should choose to boycott, as they did in the last legislative elections, or refuse to recognise the results if they lose.
There's no need for conspiracy, since the principal actors all know what to do. Occasionally some will be off-message due to lack of co-ordination. A fascinating example of this occurred last week when Senator John McCain tried to get General Doug Fraser of the US Southern Command to back his accusations that Venezuela supports terrorist activities. Testifying before the Senate armed services committee on March 11, General Fraser contradicted McCain:
"We have continued to watch very closely ... We have not seen any connections specifically that I can verify that there has been a direct government-to-terrorist connection."
Oops! Apparently Fraser didn't get the memo that the Obama team, not just McCain, is in full campaign mode against Venezuela. The next day, he issued a statement recanting his testimony:
"Assistant Secretary Valenzuela [the state department's top Latin America official] and I spoke this morning on the topic of linkages between the government of Venezuela and the Farc. There is zero daylight between our two positions and we are in complete agreement.
"There is indeed clear and documented historical and ongoing evidence of the linkages between the government of Venezuela and the Farc ... we are in direct alignment with our partners at the state department and the intelligence community."
Well it's good to know that the United States still has civilian control over the military, at least in the western hemisphere. On the other hand, it would be even better if the truth counted for anything in these Congressional hearings or in Washington foreign policy circles generally. The general's awkward and seemingly forced reversal went unnoticed by the media.
The "documented and historical and ongoing evidence" mentioned by General Fraser refers to material alleged to come from laptops and hard drives allegedly found by the Colombian military in a cross-border raid into Ecuador in 2008. Never mind that this is the same military that has been found to have killed hundreds of innocent teenagers and dressed them up in guerrilla clothing. These laptops and hard drives will continue to be tapped for previously undisclosed "evidence", which will then be deployed in the campaign against the Venezuelan government. We will be asked to assume that the "captured documents" are authentic, and most of the media will do so.
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton's attacks on Venezuela during her trip to South America were one of the opening salvos of this campaign. Most of what will follow is predictable. There will be hate-filled editorials in the major newspapers, led by the neocon editorial board of the Washington Post (aka Fox on 15th Street). Chávez will be accused of repressing the media, even though most of the Venezuelan media - as measured by audience - is still controlled by the opposition. In fact, the media in Venezuela is still far more in opposition to the government than is our own media in the United States, or for that matter in most of the world. But the international press will be trying to convey the image that Venezuela is Burma or North Korea.
In Washington DC, if I try to broadcast on an FM radio frequency without a legal broadcast licence, I will be shut down. When this happens in Venezuela, it is reported as censorship. No one here will bother to look at the legalities or the details, least of all the pundits and editorial writers, or even many of the reporters.
The Venezuelan economy was in recession in 2009, but will likely begin to grow again this year. The business press will ignore the economic growth and hype the inflation, as they have done for the past six years, when the country's record economic growth cut the poverty rate by half and extreme poverty by 70% (which was also ignored). Resolutions will be introduced into the US Congress condemning Venezuela for whatever.
The US government will continue to pour millions of dollars into Venezuela through USAid, and will refuse to disclose the recipients. This is the non-covert part of their funding for the campaign inside Venezuela.
The only part of this story that is not predictable is what the ultimate result of the international campaign will be. In Venezuela's last legislative elections of 2005, the opposition boycotted the national elections, with at least tacit support from the Bush administration. In an attempt to delegitimise the government, they gave up winning probably at least 30% of the legislature.
At the time, most of the media - and also the Organisation of American States - rejected the idea that the election was illegitimate simply because the opposition boycotted. But that was under the Bush administration, which had lost some credibility on Venezuela due to its support for the 2002 coup, and for other reasons. It could be different under an Obama administration.
That is why it is so ominous to see this administration mounting an unprovoked, transparently obvious campaign to delegitimise the Venezuelan government prior to a national election. This looks like a signal to the opposition: "We will support you if you decide to return to an insurrectionary strategy," either before or after the election.
The US state department is playing an ugly and dangerous game.
- Posted in
Comments
Note: Disqus 2012 is best viewed on an up to date browser. Click here for information. Instructions for how to sign up to comment can be viewed here. Our Comment Policy can be viewed here. Please follow the guidelines. Note to Readers: Spam Filter May Capture Legitimate Comments...
39 Comments so far
Show AllPlease keep in mind that the Venezuela election represents a movement of historical proportions. That movement is the end of five hundred years of Euro/American genocide on the American continent. Indigenous Peoples in South America are voting democratically to remove the historical chains of oppression and death. The United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was passed in 2007. The entire world signed the document excepting the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. I believe that the United States policy is genocidal and reflects the extreme right in America, the elites. The American People are best served by supporting the Peoples of South America and their democratic elections.
"I believe that the United States policy is genocidal and reflects the extreme right in America"
"The American People are best served by supporting the Peoples of South America and their democratic elections."
You should know that the people of South and central America generally get offended when people of the USA call themselves "American" - i.e they arrogantly appropriate the word only to themselves. If you travel down there, you will never hear "Américano" unless they are referring to themselves. We are "Norteaméricano", or "Estadounidese" - or "USAn" for short. Remember that English speaning Americans are far outnumbered by Spanish and Portugese-speaking Americans - even just México and Brazil alone.
appropriate comment accepted
Let them get offended, every people has a right to self-identify, and it is a logical shortening of United States of America. I get offended when people tell me what I need to call myself, it is just as wrong as us telling them what they will be called.
You are a Merkin
When addressing his subjects LBJ would say "mah fellah merkins"
Curiosity got the best of me and I looked up the word in the dictionary.
A merkin is
l. a cannon swab
2. a colorful twat wig worn by shaved italian whores.
The whitey invaders of Norte America call themselves Americans and they call the natives Indians. This has always agitated my logical mind. It is also extremely agitating in an ethical sense. Do the whitey invaders have a right to agitate me? To do so implies they are chucking their gifts of reason and ethics. And I'm not inclined to feed that dysfunction. So let them eat kaka, until they learn to appreciate their gifts of reason and ethics.
Let me respectfully point this out. What you insist is a clash of cultures in the spectrum of political correctness is really just a difference in language.
In English; referring a national of the United States of America as American is grammatically and linguistically correct. What do you call a national of the Republic of Canada? An RCer? This is a feature of English.
Spanish is different. Estaounidese is linguistically and grammatically correct for that language. Though its curious that the United States of Mexico(its proper name) is not shortened as ESMan but called Mexico and the nationals are referred to as Mexicanos instead of Estadounidese as well, which follows the logic of nationals of the US.
What you are basically saying is that persons from Latin America are equally ignorant of our language and believe we should adopt their language norms into our own in referring to ourselves in our own language just to tend their sensibilities. Now who's arrogant? And really, why do they seem to care so much about it? Are the folks in Mexico ticked off that their called Mexicans in English in spite of the fact that their country is also a republic of united states?
I don't mean to berate, but multi culturalism is a two way street. We open our minds and they do the same. There is a point where third worldism just becomes masturbatory.
And you just showed you laughable USAn ignorance by calling Canada a republic! Canada is a member of the British Commonwealth, and is therefore a constitutional monarchy, not a republic!
And you still don't get my point. "America", is the name of a pair of continents - not a nation-state. For the USAns to EXCLUSIVELY call themselves "American" would be like, say, Nigerians deciding to call themselves exclusively "African" or Germans to exclusively call themselves exclusively "European". i.e. "I am African, you are Congolese" or "I am European, you are French". This is what the USA does with "American' and no, it isn't called "political correctness", it is called stupid Yankee arrogance.
The people we call "Latin Americans" do indeed frequently refer to themselves as "American". they also often refer to the EE.UU. (USA) as a "country without a name". The "United States of America" means about as much as "The United States of the World" which come to think of it, is exactly what USAns think they are!
I understand your point and addressed it in my first post. If our name is the United States of America; then in English to call our nationals Americans is correct. You can't top that. You can't beat that. In English that is correct. In order for it to be different the same of the country would have to change. The Americas; the continents you referred to, are known in the plural. There is North America and South America.
And of course you fail to explain why you and they care so much about what we call ourselves. You mention they refer to themselves as Americanos; I know that and I don't care. Heck, those in Cuba could say they live in the best country in the world and it wouldn't bother me.
So the question is; why does it bother you and them? You know the thing about insults is; they're things which are true which are not nice to say. Maybe there is a reason it gets under your/their skin so much?
Oh, and you are correct about Canada. I found out they are still subordinate to the crown.
Thank you Mark Weisbrot for this on Venezuela.
Of course the predatory U.S. will continue to interfere with the legitimate government there because of the oil there.
Every day makes me more disgusted with that fraud we put in the White House.
Justaman: "Every day makes me more disgusted with that fraud we put in the White House."
I second that. Nearly every single bit of news that comes out of Pennsylvania Avenue is cause for dismay, just as with Baby Bush.
Thanks also to the Guardian for printing this. It is important that major organs provide at least some hints of truth amidst all the mendacious noise. The recent lie linking Hugo to "terrorism" seemed particularly ominous, and Weisbrot quickly punched a hole through that one.
We should watch this situation very closely.
Viva Chavez!
Blondoleezza, fresh from her success starting brush fires in South America, heads to the Middle East to continue her mission...
This is the "Downing Street Memo" for eventual war with Venezuela.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article23924.htm
Again, as I have mentioned before. The United States of America, on behalf of its Corporations wish to see Venezuala and Bolivia and the Countries of latin America become like Haiti where the resources are all owned buy those same Corporations and the people labor for a pittance for the same.
Slavery never ended in the USA. It was outsourced.
They also kill two birds with one stone when they "Intervene for the purposes of promoting democracy" in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Venezuala and Iran.
By having proxy Governments in place in those nations they put a chokehold on the Government of China. China's economy grows and will be larger then that of the USA in 20 years at current rates. They begin to catch up technologicaly as well .
In order to remain THE sole super power, the USA must put a crimp on Chinas economy. The way to do this is to control the sources of Chinas oil and resources from abroad.
This was they very technique they used against Japan when they forced embargoes of Oil into that country prior to WW11.
Hilary Clinton already alluded to this in a speech when she suggested that China would see its oil exports cut off if they did not support sanctions on Iran.
I would like to point out that this not JUST about oil. Oil is key to any growing economy and China has a thirst for it. That said Africom and other such initiatives to "Fight the war on terror" are just as much about controling the source of other resources that China imports.
Ultimately all of this is driven by the Corporations and the International Banking system which use the United States of America as a "Mercenary force" to enforce their edicts.
GWNorth: "That said Africom and other such initiatives to "Fight the war on terror" are just as much about controling the source of other resources that China imports."
I agree, and I wonder what lurks behind the recent "religious strife" in Nigeria, which is rich in oil, and is now supposedly, and conveniently, sinking into "Islamic extremism."
Hugo Chavez meet Salvador Allende. His days are numbered.
Anyone who dares to oppose the Usan's pigocracy is targeted.
Unfortunately Eagle Bill you are probably correct. As far as I know, all democratically elected South American Presidents that could not be bribed or removed by a CIA Coup D' 'Etat have been assassinated. Remember Bible thumping hypocrite, Robertson called for his assassination.
Except for Fidel "El Comandante" Castro. He has been flipping the Empire the finger for decades and has famously dodged many attempts to get rid of him.
Hey Paul Revere---You and the Raiders should be in the rock and roll hall of fame. But seriously, I can't believe how paranoid the U.S. establishment is. If anywhere in the world working folks acually see their lives improving our goverment ramps up to derail their progress. I suppose they're afraid that our people might get the wrong ideas.
"The US state department is playing an ugly and dangerous game" ... because the United States, Israel, Great Britain, et al., make up an ugly and dangerous partnering of nations based on their own greed, power-and-control addictions, and their infantilism and psychopathic "thinking."
A major grown-up goal of well-being for all, with objectives to really define and solve problems for people in different nations and different areas, with all working together cooperatively toward safe, secure, productive lives for everyone and healing our now ravaged/savaged planet, would be absolutely sensible.
However, acting sensibly takes a combination of matured visions and maturely-connected hearts and minds to manifest wise decisions that yield positive, helpful, cooperative behavior that benefits everyone and protects planetary life and the over-all viability and vitality of the planet itself.
Personally, I don't think the majority of the in-power males of our species are able to do this. So perhaps they should all step down and go play golf or soccer or go fishing or channel surf or sculpt or do woodworking or whatever they want to do, and let the wisest of women [irrespective of educational levels] from all parts of the globe replace them for a five-year period and meet together frequently in person and in groups at various locations and also by using computer conferencing technology.
At the end of five years, I think life on this planet would be very, very different in the most positive of ways.
Hey, guys, it's time for you to go. You've had your turn for about 10,000 years. And that's quite enough.
You've created cruel and ugly and chaotic insane asylums that seem to favor particular scenarios that are repeated and repeated and repeated and invariably bring about great suffering and destruction. The proof is in the pudding, and that pudding is now inedible because it's always boiling over or burning or exploding, and it tastes as unpleasant and bitter as anything could taste.
Of this I'm sure, ... We Women can do it better, along with some very fine, but apparently VERY FEW MEN [fill in the blanks] who see far and have both well-developed masculine and feminine principles guiding their decisions and actions for the well-being of all their people and all people.
++++++++
Some days I have happier fantasies than on other days when current or threatened obscenities and brutalities against others dominate the headlines, and there is nary a whisper of SINCERE peaceful outcomes.
++++++++
"Any man who wants to be president is either an egomaniac or crazy."
Dwight D. Eisenhower, the reluctant candidate.
SUICIDE -- WOMEN DRIVING CARS
Its like my exwife kept her gas peddle hard to the floor, while our little VW bug when speeding down the freeway. I was reading a book at the time, twice I told her to slow down, but soon thereafter again her foot on the gas went hard to the floor. Finally she let out a blood curdling scream, so first I looked at her gas peddle still hard pressed to the floor and not touching the break. Then I looked at her face and both her hand were clutching her hair. Then I looked ahead just in time to see a 12 point buck come flying through the windshield.
I woke up in the hospital, the VW bug had its roof sheared completely off and a miracle were alive to tell about it.
Moral of the story gentlemen, don’t ride in a car being driven by a woman gentlemen.
Perhaps if you had *asked* her to slow down, she would have done it.
If you want to know the real reason for any turmoil any where on this earth check to see if there is OIL or resources in the area . When Chavez nationalized some oil wells in his country BIG Petro developed a serious headache that hasn't gone yet . When the pro-oil people gained control of the U.S. government one of the first things they did was send a clandestine force to Venezula to kidnap Chavez . A mission that failed and created bad relations with Chavez and us . Thanks to our MSM . When ever the powers-that-be have designs on some country's resources they always start a drum beat against the leader in which they claim he is misstreating his people who need to be saved (A LA Iraq) . There have been several attempts to affect the out comes of elections in Venezula and so far only the very well to do there have paid any attention . This same form of rhetoric has been used around the world to get the people to oust a leader but the stupid people that design the rhetoric have yet to understand that the people of a nation will not oust one of themselves (their own) on the words of some outsider . That rhetoric only unites the indigenous people because they know why the rhetoric is being beamed at them .
Just imagine if this government of ours were as damn diligent when it came to the concerns of it's own people. Just another reason to out Obama in 2012 and replace him with Nader or McKinney. Oh, by the way it's past time for McCain and Liberman's saliva tests.
Venezuela's economy relies too much on oil for revenue. While I applaud Chavez's remarkable socialism, he will have to prepare for an oil free economy at some point.
Perhaps, but how can we do anything but applaud him for determining that the oil wealth of Venezuela belongs to the people of Venezuela.
That's why he has been so popular with the people and is truly an ELECTED leader.
Don't get me wrong. I applaud the way Chavez handles the oil wealth and it would be a miracle if the US or Saudi Arabia would do the same but any economic system based mainly on oil wealth is prone to long term instability. If the US didn't have to depend so much on foreign oil and actually it doesn't have to, I wonder what Venezuela would be like today.
EMASCULATION -- WOMEN RULING MEN
Cee Miracles
___ “the in-power males... they should all step down...
and let the wisest of women... Of this I'm sure, ...
We Women can do it better”
Its like the class I was in on Developmental Psychology, and this woman with a masters working on her PhD called out,
“Yes we need men, for about 10 seconds to make
babies, and then they can get out of out lives.”
Funny thing, I served in the Vietnam War, even came back with honor as I made Staff Sergeant, and yet not once has any woman showed the slightest appreciation. Surely a most ungodly situation, as it is written,
“A woman should learn in quietness and full submission.
I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority
over a man; she must be silent.” 1 Tim 3:11
For emasculation is something only a woman can do to men, for men have a natural instinct to do or die to save women from mortal danger, and give a wife or woman politician the deadly force off government to rule over men, and it just blows the mind. Gentlemen surely, this is what our ungodly government has done to you and me.
"EMASCULATION -- WOMEN RULING MEN
'Cee Miracles
___ “the in-power males... they should all step down...
and let the wisest of women... Of this I'm sure, ...
We Women can do it better”
Truth_Light, What I said above on another post really bothered you, huh? I don't think you would have had to go to Vietnam if women were leaders of the world.
I know you are reading the current essays. What a mess men have created. What an insane asylum. How many wars going on now and how many more planned?
Women use both sides of their brain and think wholistically. Men are more tunnel- visioned. Men fixate on a goal, usually something about winning or beating the other guy or grabbing what the other fella' has. That is so juvenile.
I would suggest, since you are quoting scripture to me, that you read the most well-known sayings of Jesus. They are simple, but profound, and they do not advocate beating other people up. Quite the opposite.
Jesus was one of those realized beings whose masculine and feminine principles were strong and balanced: Jesus wept over someone else's pain, and then healed them with tenderness. Once he wished he were a Mother hen who could gather all her chicks under her wing to protect them. And then there's the Jesus who takes on the Pharisees and calls them Hypocrites in no uncertain terms. And the Jesus with the bull-whip in his hand driving the money-changers from his Father's House. And the Jesus sitting in the kitchen with Mary and Martha talking with them as a friend. And Jesus of the Sword, symbolic of helping to cut away the constant focus on the material to reveal the loving spirit.
Balanced soul.
It's already been studied and documented that whenever there is an equal number of men and women, elected or otherwise, to solve problems, the tone of the meeting is more peaceful and the solutions become directed toward the well-being of the people and the community in the broadest sense.
Your quote from the biblical Timothy. Good grief.
“A woman should learn in quietness and full submission.
I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority
over a man; she must be silent.” 1 Tim 3:11
And your very own statement: "For emasculation is something only a woman can do to men, for men have a natural instinct to do or die to save women from mortal danger, and give a wife or woman politician the deadly force off government to rule over men, and it just blows the mind. Gentlemen surely, this is what our ungodly government has done to you and me."
No, you've done it to yourself with your unquestioned, conditioned belief systems, and the cultural, sterotypic propaganda. Viva la difference, but you're missing 90 per cent of the positive possibilities.
Just an old-fashioned gorilla man, I guess, who must pound his hairy chest regularly. Quite primitive. So is our predominantly white male government, whose policies leads to pounding other people with bombs. Infantile and so sad because that primitivism is destroying the very planet we live on.
By the way, item in Scientific American: the marrow from women's bones can be a source for creating stem cells which can be cultured into sperm. It may be that in the not-too distant future, males will become passe.
Actually I like men, especially those whose masculine and feminine energies are balanced. But I run from males like you because you are still so shut down and unenlightened and hence dangerous.
Maybe next time around ...
/cm
You studied psychology and still look to "Saint" Paul as an authority?
You can't have done very well in your studies if you're not aware that he was, at a minimum, neurotic as hell and totally unfit even to lead a cat to catnip. His epistles are wonderful documentation of someone on the edge of sexual psychopathy.
This excerpt from JOE_2010 (Joint Operating Environment) gives a glimpse of the Pentagon's designs on Venezuela:
The potential major challenges to the status quo at present are Cuba and Venezuela. The demise of the
Castros will create the possibility of major changes in Cuba’s politics. The future of Venezuela is harder to
read. The Chavez regime is diverting substantial amounts of its oil revenues to further its anti-American
“Bolivarian Revolution,” while at the same time consolidating his regime’s hold on power by distributing oil
wealth to his supporters. By trying to do both, it is shortchanging investments in its oil infrastructure which
have serious implications for the future. Unless Venezuela’s current regime changes direction, it could use
its oil wealth to subvert its neighbors for an extended period while pursuing anti-American activities on a
global scale with the likes of Iran, Russia, and China, in effect creating opportunities to form anti-American
coalitions in the region.
PROPAGANDA -- BRAINWASH
ezeflyer
___ “The demise of the Castros will create the
possibility of major changes in Cuba’s politics.”
Fiction, fantasy and fairy tales unending are there that socialism is so weak and unstable in Cuba, that without Castro all would expire in a convulsion.
Surely quite the reverse. Comes now a vision on Empire USA, as soon as paid actor Obama leaves office, the downfall of our Empire will quickly follow. For he is the ultimate in “dictatorship by thought control” and anti-climatic will be any smoke screen that may follow.
As for the "laptops", a short history of forged "evidence" is in order:-
* Niger Uranium docouments (to promote the invasion of Iraq.)
* Aluminium tubes (ditto)
* Documuments showing George Galloway accepting bribes from Saddam
* Fake videos of Osama bin Laden.
"There's no need for conspiracy, since the principal actors all know what to do."
100 million USans voted for these racketeers in 2008. Hilarious!
Thanks to Mark Weisbrot.
In previous decades, The United States of Global Domination brutally instigated and reinforced vicious overthrows of democratically elected governments in Central America and South America. Slowly and with great difficulty, the majority of the people of these regions was able to regain some semblance of democracy. To some extent, this was because the U.S. has been so busy over-reaching in other areas of the globe.
However, global domination in the name of vain arrogance and greed are not done with Central America and South America. The renewal of these economies and the resources (sources of money) in these regions are like ripening fruit and the capitalists are beginning to salivate. Again.
There is a significant difference this time around and it has already been implemented.
Look at how easily the democratically elected president of Guatemala was removed, branded as a criminal, and replaced.
This was just a practice run.
One big mistake that happened in Guatemala (and elsewhere) was that the people were tricked into boycotting the blatantly corrupt "elections" and then accepting (however grudgingly) the results of fraudulent "elections". The capitalists were able to make it look as if the U.S. was just a bystander.
Somehow, the people of Central America and South America must prevent these fraud elections, which are staged (and then endorsed) by the U.S. The people need to be prepared. They need to ardently ensure that they put their candidates on the ballot. They need to get ahead of this new game of corruption.
Structures for fair elections need to be reinforced and transparent so that any manipulation and fraud will be blatant.
It is coming.
Before the 2008 election I used to say that even if Obama would escalate the war in Afghanistan and not really do a speedy withdrawal from Iraq that he was a much better choice than McCain who would do the same things in Afghanistan and Iraq but also bomb Iran AND GET US INTO A LAND WAR IN VENEZUELA.
For a while after the election when there would be complaints I'd again say that he's better than McCain who'd have us bombing Iran and GETTING US INTO A LAND WAR IN VENEZUELA.
Oh well.
I guess the only real difference between a McCain administration with a Lieberman Secretary of State and an Obama administration with a Clinton Secretary of State is just how fast it takes us to bomb Iran and GET INTO A LAND WAR IN VENEZUELA.
viva Chavez
I also want to make this pledge.
If the United States goes to war with Venezuela, then I will:
1) Protest in front of a federal office
2) Hold up a large sign of Chavez that says "Viva Chavez"
3) Burn a U.S. flag
4) Pour blood on the ground.
As if the US didn't have enough problems of its own...yet always sticking its unwelcomed nose into everyone else's business. Same old same. Always preaching democracy yet always supporting despots and dictators all over the world. Go home effing Yanki...clean up your own back yard!